


Morphine

by Din_of_Hyrule



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: NO PAPERHAT, also flug is my lifeblood, black hat kinda cares enough to not let him die, but it's unintentional, demencia is a lil shit and 505 is mostly useless in this situation, flug gets hella beat up, i mean if you squint it's kinda there??, mostly flug-centric, the bear has no thumbs brenda, there's also a ton of backstory, this is a short fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-20 13:33:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11336532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Din_of_Hyrule/pseuds/Din_of_Hyrule
Summary: Apparently there's two ways to get the good Dr. Flug to lower his guard, sleep deprivation and morphine. But is the good doctor really as good as he seems?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a one shot, but with all of my experiences with shots one quickly turns to three.

He had been working for hours, or so it seemed. The lack of windows in his lab made the passage of time unpredictable at best. In all honesty Flug stopped paying attention a long time ago, not to mention his phone was dead and the clock on the wall was long broken, one of his boss’s temper tantrums he remembers. Sighing the overworked scientist rubbed at where his temples would be under his bag, one of his few comforts in this world as well as his small mp3 player that he had modified so it could hold nearly three times the storage it should. Of course, he was jotting down some final notes on… whatever it was Blackhat had him making now. According to his notes it was supposed to be a large-scale EMP, though it was over the top and over complicated in typical Blackhat fashion. The previous prototypes had been sensitive to vibration, and were prone to exploding if jostled too much while active due to an excessively high-powered battery he had designed to go with it.  
“Hopefully this one has enough shock absorbers to negate that unfortunate side effect…” He muttered to himself, the oil and grease staining his coat and gloves showing he hadn’t even stopped to change to try and meet his deadline as he continued to write on the electronic pad. It was still a few days out, but knowing his employer he would be by any minute to make sure he was ahead of schedule.

Surprisingly, Dr. Flug was much calmer than usual, confident that this time he’d not have delayed too long. His handwriting was sloppy as he made a few final notes, head bobbing to the music softly playing in the headphones that were loud enough to keep him focused but soft enough to allow him to hear people approach. Which is exactly what he heard as the expected click of dress shoes upon the metal floor announced Blackhat’s arrival.

“Flug, is this prototype ready for testing?” He sounded more annoyed than usual, though with how long this thing took it didn’t surprise the now overtired inventor. Flug didn’t look up from the chicken scratch he was jotting down, but he didn’t need to since he had linked the pad to a screen a few feet behind him. This kept his boss from literally breathing down his neck whenever he came in to check on him, which was once every few hours. Flug spoke after a few seconds, finishing up his notes and discreetly lowering the volume on his music.

“N-nearly Sir, I just need to tweak a few things before I can claim it’s safe enough to operate.” To follow his point, he began to pick up one of the wrenches on the counter in order to ensure the shocks were on tight and the battery was neatly packed in. Blackhat waited as the scientist wheeled himself under the machine and finished what he could, the ghostly pallor of his skin just showing above his shoes and waistline.

“Power it up, I want proof. And it better not explode this time or I will break you.” The snarling, glowing teeth he so proudly displayed so often were now visible as Flug came back out, causing him to flinch and hurry to his feet as he kicked the roll board to the side. He knew that was Blackhat’s annoyed face, but he had no idea why he was more annoyed than usual. Surely it wasn’t already late into the night?

“Y-yes Sir.” Came Flug’s meek reply as he turned to face his creation. It stood at least a foot taller than him and was a large cylindrical metal device, covered in buttons and lights and levers to control the output of the EMP and monitor the internal temperature of the unstable battery he was using. Quickly turning on his special blast-proof camera to record it, Flug began by pulling down on a shorter lever at about shoulder height. It whirred to life, lights beginning to blink in a steady green pace as he began punching in a sequence to limit the EMP to just the manor.

“O-ok Sir, here.. here goes test number uh.. 8.” He needed to glance at his notes to make sure he got the right test number. As he reached for a much taller lever, a loud noise came from somewhere above them, causing him to hesitate and the floor to shake as it continued, taking his hand away from the lever on reflex. It was rhythmic to an extent, the whining of the instrument a giveaway to the manor’s only female resident. “Was.. was that Demencia’s guitar? H-how loud does she..”  
“I’m going to rip that damn thing to pieces, but first keep going if only to make that awful noise stop! Keep it running until I come back.” Blackhat growled the words behind him, and Flug was not willing to stop to look at what that terrible snarling noise was doing to his boss’s face. Flipping the lever up, it whirred a second before a blast cut off all the electronics to the building save for the device itself and the camera, small red light still blinking in the now pitch-black lab. The noise was akin to a bass drop in one of those fancy raves he’d heard so much about growing up, but regardless he sighed in relief since it hummed a low note and the lights kept a steady green blink.

A small whoosh and Flug was now alone in the lab, his boss could be heard faintly yelling from two whole floors above him. His mp3 had cut out in the EMP, an expected effect that left him without much noise other than his own heartbeat and the hum of the machine. Rubbing his face under the bag and groaning as he both felt the grease stick to his skin and the excessive bags under his eyes, he was looking forward to getting a good few hours rest and a shower for once. That is, until he heard a small spark come from the machine. It was quiet, and he thought he was hearing things until his eyes caught sight of another as it briefly danced across the metallic surface. His heart sank to his gut in the same way one would at the threshold of a roller coaster about to drop, cold sweat beading on his skin.

Sucking in a breath, he anxiously watched as it sparked once more, lights going from green to red for only a second before shutting off completely. Tentatively he stepped back, the worn rubber of his beat to hell converse making a dull noise on the metal as the sparks increased in pace and were the only thing illuminating the surface in the suffocating darkness. His heart raced, that hadn’t happened before with the others, maybe his failsafe had kicked in? The failsafe was the wiring would disconnect from the battery if it exceeded a certain temperature, spring loaded to ensure it would separate. The answer was no as it began to now violently spark and the metal within creaking with the strain of an expanding firewall, not giving him enough time to even think before it exploded, wrapping him and the lab in fire and sending shrapnel in all directions and collapsing the ceiling onto them both. Flug screamed as the was thrown back, skidding along the floor and hitting his head on a large slab of concrete that had already fallen. A pale light began to illuminate everything before his vision faded to black and the rest of the lab consumed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT LOG: 12/4/2017  
> I'm attempting to give this more structure other than what I had, since I've got my motivation for this fic back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being patient, I had a lot of time to really plan out this chapter and wanted to make sure the characters felt natural.
> 
> i promise the next chapter won't take a month
> 
> also slight warning for blood
> 
> EDIT 12/4/2017:  
> HI SORRY I WAS RIGHT IN THAT IT WOULDN'T TAKE A MONTH, BUT 5  
> but I'm going through and updating these past two chapters to have a bit more oomph to them because they didn't before

The world was dark and everything felt significantly heavier than usual, like there was something pushing down on him. It also hurt like hell to breathe, but he couldn’t stop the heaving breaths he was taking, the wheezing of his windpipe filling the small space. Opening his eyes, Flug found the source of all the anomalies at least, he was trapped under the rubble of his lab and he was rather quickly running short on oxygen, though it was incredibly dark and one of his eyes was too swollen to open. A wave of coughs that were far too wet for his liking racked his frame under the metal and concrete, warm blood soaking the bag he wore as it stuck to his mouth and nose. Everything hurt, and the more he struggled not only the more he found himself bleeding but the less oxygen he had. One thing was certain though, he was determined not to die here after all he’d been through.

Kicking at the rubble, one leg found freedom while the other only sparked with pain and fire. His shoulders and hips were the only thing supporting a rather large bit of concrete, though one of his hips were cracked and there was definitely a broken tibia on the leg resting on the ground. Presumably the reason he hadn’t been crushed to death previously was there was a smaller piece of concrete resting on the broken bone that must’ve broken the fall of the other one. Though Flug knew better than to move anything else, he at least tried to call out, maybe someone was already there and was trying to dig him out of the rubble despite him not being able to hear much else over the ringing in his ears.

“Agh… S-sir? Is anyo-“Before he could finish a wave of coughs racked his lungs, warm blood soaking the front of his bag even further. Reeling a moment, the injured scientist tried again despite the ringing in his ears and the warm fuzziness of an oncoming blackout. “5-5.0.5! Sir! Please s-someone he-help me!” He found it concerning that he was having a hard time hearing even his own voice over the rapid crescendo of the ringing in his ears. Of course, Flug wasn’t sure if the concrete was getting lighter or he was starting to pass out. A flash of blue told him that he was being rescued at least.

At this point staying conscious was a difficult task, his ears were ringing and he was vaguely aware of something lifting him up and out of the rubble. Though he came back a little bit when something jostled his leg the wrong way, his pained scream and clenched teeth obvious behind the bag, though rather quickly interrupted by more uncomfortably wet coughs. The heaving of his chest was something to focus on as he strained to keep his eye open, though something far more concerning quickly caught his gaze. A large and twisted piece of metal was protruding from his chest, and the resulting blood flow had stained most of his coat red and the blue of his shirt turned purple.

“…th-that’s not… that’s not g-good.” Flug willed himself awake and fought off another blackout long enough to gently prod at the shrapnel sticking out of his chest. He tried to remember when it happened, but the explosion was a blur and he was pretty sure he had a concussion. A hand forced his own back down by his side and Flug realized his left arm wasn’t responding. ‘Probably broken.’ He thought dryly, resting his head back against whatever he had been propped up on.

A light drew his attention and Flug let his head roll to one side to look at it better only to see the moon shining though the hole in his lab. “I can’t remember the last time I saw the moon..” Flug wasn’t sure if he had said that aloud or not, but if anyone acknowledged it they didn’t show it. It was big and bright enough to let him space out for a little, though he was roused out of his short stupor by Black Hat’s voice.

“5.0.5 pick him up, and be careful for once in your miserable life.” His brain hadn’t registered what that entailed until it was happening. The bear’s paws and arms carefully bent up his legs and Flug couldn’t help but scream in agony as hot fire travelled up the broken limb. The ringing in his ears returned along with the suffocating fuzziness in his skull and soon enough the pain didn’t matter because his vision began to blacken around the edges.

Black Hat’s voice reached his ears, but it sounded muffled and distant. Kinda like he was trying to hear him through a wall. His eyelids became really heavy and sleep was sounding more and more like a really good idea. Before he could even fully close his eyes, he could ever so faintly hear Black Hat ordering someone to do something, followed by more threats of bodily harm, but it was too faint for the scientist to properly make out before he finally succumbed to the dark.

~

Of course what he wasn’t expecting was to be waking up in his bed. At least he thought it was his bed, the dirty and cracked goggles he wore didn’t help anything as far as helping him see much. A dull, muted pain coursed through his body and breathing still hurt like hell, but he was alive at least. A slightly sharper breath unintentionally signaled that he was awake, a groan swiftly followed as his lungs retaliated in pain. “…fuck.”

Barely sitting up, many things became apparent. He was shirtless and covered in bandages, his leg had been put into a rather sturdy cast, and they even put an IV into his arm to replace the fluids he lost. Flug noticed his arm had also been placed into a cast, though whoever patched him up didn’t remove the bag. This was unexpected indeed, considering he knew they didn’t have this kind of equipment in the manor. He didn’t get far before a gloved hand on his shoulder gently pressed back and he wordlessly understood that as “lie back down” from his boss.

Black Hat, of course, was standing over him now, face completely obscured by the darkness of the dim room and the muddled glass of his ruined goggles. The touch was impressively gentle, at least to Flug’s groggy mind that was practically swimming in painkillers. In fact, he could hardly feel anything other than a desperate want to go back to sleep. But he wanted a few things before he went back to sleep.

“S-sir I..” He winced not only at how raw his throat was but at how gravelly his voice sounded. Had he been more coherent he would have made a snide thought about a rusty engine. “How long was I..?” The words slurred together and everything felt like he was absolutely plastered. His brain at least recognized a fever when it saw one, though he had no way of telling how bad it was. One thing he absolutely needed was to get a certain grimy and bloodied bag off of his face, but not before his boss responded.

“Unconscious? About 14 hours and that’s including the times you were so delirious you could barely talk.” He seemed angry, but Flug simply assumed it was due to another delay in his excessively busy schedule. Flug grunted in reply, shifting uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze. “I warned you not to let it explode again, but it seems to have done my end of the deal already.” Black Hat turned away to look outside, a silent sign that Flug would not be beaten within an inch of his life for this incident.

"That's more sleep than I've gotten all month.." He murmured before dealing with the goddamn bag and goggles because the stench was horrible. Reaching up and grabbing the stiff paper and worn elastic, he pulled and everything came off in one swift and deliberate motion. Suddenly he felt much better, not surrounded by grime and the stench of his own blood and he ran a hand through entirely too greasy hair. His boss, still standing by the window now turned to face him and somehow looked stiffer than usual in posture with more furrowed eyebrows than usual. What was his deal anyway? He snapped his gloved fingers and a terrified man who Flug could only assume was the poor bastard his boss hired to fix him came back in from the hall door. Wordlessly and immediately Flug knew two things as he washed the blood off his face and patched over his eye, that this man recognized him and that he was going to die after this, both of which scared him. Soon enough he was done and looked upon Black Hat now with eyes too full of fear that were only met with a smile.

“You agreed to this, remember? Wait for me outside, I won’t be long.” Black Hat said the words so calmly that Flug could’ve mistaken them for an actual business deal rather than someone signing their life away. The man scurried out of the room and Black Hat turned back to Flug now. After a short silence, he spoke again. “You nearly died you know, and despite the rumors I cannot bring the dead back.”

And Flug gave an exhausted chuckle, followed by a sharp wince. There were still red circles around his face where the goggles pressed into the skin, now more oblong as the man smiled for the first time in a long while. “Sir, I’ve already died once just to get this job. Like hell I’m letting myself do it again.” The words were weak and portrayed just how damn tired the man was, but held much more weight than he probably intended and certainly caught Black Hat off guard.

The eldritch straightened his impossibly black tie and looked away, signature scowl still plastered onto his face even though his words seemingly had less impact than usual. “We can discuss your death habits later, but for now get some rest, we have a lot to talk about when you wake up next.” His boss certainly didn’t need to repeat himself seeing as the usually timid scientist had already dozed off, dark brown eyebrows still furrowed ever so slightly even in sleep.

Though what had Black Hat so unusually interested now is the feeling like he had seen his face before, yet he couldn’t place where seeing as the man never took off his bag and he knew they had never met before he had hired Flug. “Curious indeed…” Now to take care of that doctor…

 


End file.
